Seattle Prep
by EverlastingImmortalTwilight
Summary: When the Cullens moved to Forks, Edward, Emmett, and Jasper were enrolled in an exlusive all-male boarding school, while Rosalie and Alice were enrolled in its all-female sister school. Edward gets a room all to himself... or does he?
1. Chapter 1

Second AN: I am re-uploading all the chapters so far, with some changes that I've made. The biggest change is that the chapters from Edward's point of view are now in first person instead of third. It seemed like that was better to me, after thinking about it. There are also some minor changes, some stuff that will make the storyline run better later on. Hope this goes well!

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AN: My first fanfic. Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, unfortunately.

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I sighed. It looked like it was going to be a long year. Same classes, different teachers. It was unfortunate that keeping up the human façade required going to high school. There aren't many new and interesting things to learn when one already has several degrees, medical and otherwise.

Upon moving to Forks, Washington, the previous year, Carlisle and Esme had enrolled Emmet, Jasper, and I in Seattle Preparatory School, an exclusive all-male boarding school located close to the family's new home. Carlisle had taken on the job of school doctor there, along with part time work at a local hospital. The girls, Rosalie and Alice, had been enrolled in Seattle Prep's sister school, a just-as-exclusive girls-only boarding school called Queen Anne Preparatory School.

Another sigh escaped my lips. Though I knew exactly why my "parents" had decided to put us all in boarding school, I didn't exactly agree with their reasons. Just because we had never been in boarding school before did not mean that we needed to try it now. At least I only had another year to deal with Emmet and Jasper's grumblings about being separated from their "significant others," the same amount of time Alice would be subject to Rosalie's complaints on the same topic.

Assorted thoughts from the boys around me broke into my concentration and I frowned, once again counting myself lucky to be without a roommate. It was bad enough to have to put up with school complaints and thoughts of absent girlfriends while I was in class, but at least I didn't have to deal with it while I was in my room.

"Hey, Edward!"

I turned to the seat next to me, a resigned look on my face. "What is it, Mike?"

"I hear we're getting a transfer student pretty soon. Should be cool, huh?"

"I suppose. It doesn't really interest me, though." I faced forward again, concentrating on anything besides the constant stream of thoughts that surrounded me.

"But I heard he's gonna be in your room!" _Why isn't he more excited?_ Mike thought. _Wish _I_ could have a new roommate!_

Startled, I turned back to Mike. Maybe I should have been paying more attention to the thoughts. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, it's because you're the only junior living in a double room that doesn't have a roommate. The higher-ups don't want to put this new guy in an empty room." _I don't see how you managed to get a room by yourself, anyway._ Mike gestured enthusiastically. "You should be happy, man! I'd hate to be in a room all by myself!"

"It's not so bad," I muttered before turning away from Mike once again. There went my peace and quiet. Now what was I supposed to do?


	2. Chapter 2

Second AN: Again, I'm re-uploading the chapters, and I changed Edward's point of view to first person, along with a couple other minor changes.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight.

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AN: Cool, I got reviews and story alerts! That makes me happy. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Next might be from a different point of view, haven't decided yet. I just changed a mistake in Ch. 1 that was bugging me, so that's the only thing different in it.

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I rubbed my temples, aggravated. I wished that the new student hadn't been coming so soon. I had only had a few days to get used to the idea of having a roommate after Mike told me about it. Now, everyone in the school was thinking about the new transfer. Most of the thoughts that I heard contained the name 'Blake Swan,' accompanied by images of a pale, brown-haired boy that didn't seem to talk much.

Relieved by this fact, I consoled myself by thinking that even if I had to hear this boy's thoughts whenever he was in our room, I wouldn't have to listen to him talk. Listening to dreams was never a good idea, so I resolved to spend very few nights in my room from now on.

The bell rang and I rose from my seat, keeping to human speed as I packed up my books. My next period was lunch, and I wondered if Jasper or Emmett had seen the new student yet. I would have to see what they thought about Blake Swan, especially since I hadn't told them about Blake being my new roommate.

I paid for my tray of food that would never be eaten and made my way to the table where my brothers were already sitting. Jasper had his head on his arms, and I could tell from his thoughts that he was agitated.

_Stupid humans!_ Jasper groaned into the table. "Why does their blood have to pump faster when they're excited? I don't understand why they're excited, anyway. It's not as if there is anything special about the new transfer!"

I chuckled. "Look, Jasper, you have to understand that most of the students here are very bored. They don't get many transfers. Remember the excitement that we caused?"

"I swear I thought some of those guys were gay, the way they were following us around," Emmett rumbled. "I'm still not sure, even though you assured me they weren't, Edward."

"Look, if you're having trouble, you should just go hunt," I told Jasper.

Jasper lifted his head up and glared at me. "What, now? And skip class? You know Carlisle would kill me."

"I think he'd be more upset if you killed one of your fellow students," I said, arching my eyebrow at Jasper. "Just go. Emmett can cover for you."

"Thanks for volunteering me, man!" Emmett laughed. "But yeah, it's okay. Get out of here."

Jasper sighed. "Fine. I guess I'll head out now then." He swiftly rose from the table, picking up his tray as he did. "I'll see you later." He dumped the contents of his tray in the trash and headed out the door.

"Later, Jasper," I responded distractedly, hearing the name Cullen in one of the many thoughts surrounding me. I recognized the mental voice as belonging to Mike, who from the thoughts in his head was currently talking to the transfer student. "Hey Emmett, Mike's telling the new kid about us."

"The new kid scared?" Emmett responded, curious.

I listened to the conversation between Mike and Blake, interested to see what my new roommate thought of me and my family.

"They're the Cullen brothers. Well, Cullen and Hale, technically. They're not actually brothers, but they were all adopted by Dr. Carlisle Cullen a few years back. Dr. Cullen is our school doctor here, too." _I wonder if being related to the doctor is how they can get out of class so easily all the time._ "I hear they also have two adopted sisters, and that the girls are coupled up with two of the guys," Mike informed Blake.

"Oh, yeah? Which ones?" questioned Blake.

I was startled. I had not heard this voice before. Was I not concentrating hard enough? What was the boy thinking?

"The guy that just walked out, Jasper Hale, is with a girl that's our age, Alice Cullen, I think her name is. The big one, Emmett Cullen, is with another senior, Rosalie Hale. She and Jasper are actually brother and sister, not just by adoption," Mike continued.

"How do you know all this stuff?" Blake asked, sounding confused.

"My girlfriend goes to Queen Anne Prep, same as those girls. She thinks it's weird how they're in the same family but they're still together." Mike shrugged. _I miss Jessica! Maybe I can call her tonight…_

"They're not related, so it shouldn't be a big deal," Blake said. "So Jasper and  
Emmett are seniors? What about the last guy?"

I was getting a little annoyed. There was a blank spot where Blake's thoughts should be. I turned towards them as Mike responded, thinking that maybe if I could see the transfer's face, it would help me concentrate.

"That's Edward Cullen. He's a junior, like us."

The boy looked as nondescript as he had seemed in everyone's thoughts, messy brown hair framing a rather soft face containing brown eyes that were currently looking in my direction. As soon as I met his eyes, Blake's immediately dropped to the table and his face flushed. I was glad Jasper had already gone, for the blood pooling beneath the surface of the skin would not have helped his condition. I concentrated on what I could see of the boy's face, trying to ascertain any thoughts he might be having.

"That's weird," I heard Mike say.

"What?" Blake looked up at Mike.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you." _Those Cullens really freak me out sometimes._

I saw Blake's eyes meet mine, then dart away. His blush deepened, and I thought I could hear the boy's heartbeat increasing. What was wrong with this boy? Why were his thoughts unreadable?

I turned back to my untouched tray of food as I heard Blake say, "Uh, yeah, weird." I grabbed my tray and headed for the exit, soon followed by Emmett.

As we both dumped their food, Emmett said, "So what about the new kid?" _He scared of us yet?_

I shrugged noncommittally, and Emmett dropped the subject. Inside, my mind was whirling. Why was this boy's mind blocked to me? What was different about Blake Swan?


	3. Chapter 3

Second AN: Re-upload with minor changes. Thanks for reading!

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AN: I saw the movie! Loved it, of course. Sorry it took a while to update. I've been super busy, and will stay super busy until after the New Year. I'll try to update as much as I can. So this chapter is from a different point of view. Sorry if the switch from third to first person bugs you. That just seemed the right way for it to go. Enjoy!

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Crazy. That was the only way to describe the situation. The only thing that was more insane was that it was not her idea.

One comment gave Charlie the idea. One off-hand remark that she wasn't even sure she had actually meant. It had started the whole thing.

"I'm not really comfortable hanging around girls. They're so complicated. I bet being a boy would be a lot easier."

Apparently Charlie had taken this to mean that she didn't want to be around girls at all. So he had talked to a friend of his, who happened to be principal of an elite boarding school near Forks, Washington, where Charlie lived. She had been enrolled without her knowledge, but had decided to go along with it since Charlie had gone to so much trouble.

Her mom, Renee, had recently remarried, and she decided to move to Forks and live with her dad, Charlie, to give Renee peace of mind so she could travel with her husband, Phil.

She now stood at the entrance to Seattle Preparatory School, the exclusive, _all-male_ boarding school she now attended. Looking around, all she saw was clouds, mountains, trees, and boys. Lots of boys. She shook her head, the feel of her newly cut hair strange around her face. "What have you gotten yourself into, Bella?"

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I followed the instructions the large, red-haired woman in the office had given me to my first class, English. The teacher, Mr. Mason, signed my slip and gave me a reading list to look over while the rest of the class finished a book discussion. I had already read most of the books on the list, to my relief. That was one less thing I would have to worry about.

It seemed as though a lot of my classmates were more interested in me than in the book discussion they were supposed to be engaged in. As soon as the bell rang, a gangly, black-haired boy introduced himself to me.

"Hey, welcome to Seattle Prep. I'm Eric Yorkie." He stuck out his hand.

I took his hand, giving what I hoped was a firm handshake. "I'm Be… Blake. Blake Swan. Nice to meet you."

"Any relation to Chief Swan in Forks?"

I groaned inwardly. So much for anonymity. "Yeah, he's my dad, actually. How do you know him?"

"I live in Forks. A lot of the guys here are from Forks, actually. If you go home any on the weekends, we could all hang out sometime."

"Yeah, maybe," I responded noncommittally.

"So, what's your next class?" Eric asked.

I checked my schedule. "Looks like I have Government with Jefferson."

"I have to go past there to get to my next class. I'll show you where it is."

"Cool, thanks." At least I wouldn't get lost. And this boy didn't seem to think there was anything strange about me. I wondered what these boys would think if they ever found out.

Government passed by quickly. A kid named Tyler Crowley introduced himself to me afterwards, and pointed out my Spanish classroom. A friendly, spikey-haired, blond boy named Mike Newton walked with me from Spanish to lunch, and invited me to sit with him.

We were joined by Eric, Tyler, and another boy named Ben Cheney. Talk at the table was sporadic, with most of the guys concentrating more on their food then on participating in a conversation. A tall, blond-haired boy at another table caught my attention as he rose, grabbing his tray. My gaze strayed to the other two at his table. All three were very pale, with dark circles under their eyes, and were inhumanly beautiful.

I nudged Mike. "Hey, who are those guys over there?"

"They're the Cullen brothers. Well, Cullen and Hale, technically. They're not actually brothers, but they were all adopted by Dr. Carlisle Cullen a few years back. Dr. Cullen is our school doctor here, too. I hear they also have two adopted sisters, and that the girls are coupled up with two of the guys," Mike responded.

"Oh, yeah? Which ones?" I stared over at the table, where the two remaining Cullens sat, food untouched.

"The guy that just walked out, Jasper Hale, is with a girl that's our age, Alice Cullen, I think her name is. The big one, Emmett Cullen, is with another senior, Rosalie Hale. She and Jasper are actually brother and sister, not just by adoption," Mike continued.

"How do you know all this stuff?" I asked, confused as to why Mike would know so much about a family that he did not appear to be close friends with.

"My girlfriend goes to Queen Anne Prep, same as those girls. She thinks it's weird how they're in the same family but they're still together." Mike shrugged.

"They're not related, so it shouldn't be a big deal," I said. "So Jasper and  
Emmett are seniors? What about the last guy?"

"That's Edward Cullen. He's a junior, like us."

Edward turned toward us as Mike answered, as if he could hear us from across the cafeteria. His eyes met mine for a second, and I looked down, embarrassed. Why did such a gorgeous guy have to look at me when I was supposed to be a boy? His messy bronze hair was just begging for someone to run their hands through it. I could feel myself blushing, and I cringed inwardly. I doubted many boys blushed as easily as I did.

There was a pause, and then Mike said, "That's weird."

I paused a moment before responding, looking up at Mike. "What?"

"Edward Cullen is staring at you."

I glanced at Edward again, looking away almost immediately. He was indeed staring at me, with the strangest look on his face. I could feel my face getting even redder, and my heart began to race. I tried to sound nonchalant as I responded, "Uh, yeah, weird."

Edward and his brother both stood up then, exiting the cafeteria as quickly and with just as much grace as their brother, Jasper, had. Lunch was coming to an end, so the others guys and I gathered all our trash, tossed it, and headed out to our prospective classes.

Mike was in my next class also, Biology 2. After we walked into the classroom, Mike headed to his seat as I went to get the teacher to sign my slip. I looked over the classroom as I did so, and noticed that the only empty seat was at the lab table where Edward Cullen was seated. Just my luck. I could feel my cheeks heating up again.

I felt the warmth from a heat vent as the teacher gathered the things I needed. I glanced toward Edward again and was shocked to find him glaring at me, a fist clenched on the tabletop and his eyes hard. I took my things from the teacher and headed for the seat he directed me to, which was, of course, next to Edward.

I set my books on the table and glanced over at Edward. He looked like he was in pain, or had smelled an extremely unpleasant odor. I was sure it couldn't be me; I had just showered that morning. I could already feel my face heating up. I chanced another peek at Edward and instantly regretted it. His eyes seemed to be burning into me, and the phrase, 'If looks could kill,' crossed my mind as I wondered at the color of his eyes, which were entirely black.

I tried hard to concentrate on what the teacher was saying, but unfortunately I had already learned it. I took extensive notes anyway, trying to ignore the way that Edward seemed to be trying to get as far away from me as possible, leaning away and sitting so still that he almost seemed to stop breathing.

Finally the bell rang, and Edward was up from his seat and out of the room almost before I had time to move. I gathered my books, and got up, still shaken from Edward's strange behavior.

Mike came up behind me and clapped me on the back. "Time for gym, right, man?"

I had forgotten about gym. "Great," I groaned.

"What's the matter? Don't you like gym?"

"I am so uncoordinated it's not even funny," I confessed.

"Whatever, dude. I'm sure you'll be fine. Coach Clapp's a cool guy." We headed out into the hallway, and Mike continued talking. "So did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil, or what? I've never seen him act like that."

I cringed. I guess I hadn't been imagining it, after all. I played dumb. "Oh, right, I did sit next to him, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Mike responded. "He looked like he was in pain or something."

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I didn't even talk to him at all."

"He's a weird guy," Mike commented nonchalantly. "Maybe he's just ticked that he doesn't get a room to himself anymore."

"Yeah, I guess." I paused. "Wait, what?"

"Don't you know?" asked Mike. "You're going to be Edward Cullen's new roommate."

I froze, panic filling me. Edward Cullen, strange, beautiful, Edward, who seemed to hate me, was my roommate? I wouldn't last a week!


	4. Chapter 4

Second AN: Re-upload with Edward's point of view changed to first person.

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AN: This chapter is a bit shorter than the last, sorry. Also sorry if me having Bella's point of view in first person and Edward's point of view in third person bothers you. That's just how it seems right to me to write it. Oh, and I've seen Twilight three times now, and still love it! Enjoy this chapter!

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I was up and out of the door before the bell even had time to finish ringing. I knew I should be more careful about staying at human speed, but at this point, I didn't really care. Sitting next to that boy for an entire class period, enduring his mouth-watering scent while Mr. Banner droned on about something I could have taught in my sleep-if I could sleep-had been pure torture.

It had only been the thought of Carlisle's disapproval and disappointment that had kept me from attacking the Swan boy the moment I caught the scent. Holding my breath hadn't been much help, as the smell still filled my lungs from the first moment that Blake had stepped in front of the vent that was blowing in my direction.

Avoiding any curious human stares, I dumped my books at my locker and raced outside. I had to get away, had to stop thinking of how easy it would be to get Blake Swan alone, with no witnesses. I would make it fast; the boy wouldn't even feel any pain.

I ran deeper into the forest surrounding the school. Perhaps I should just leave, run to Canada or Alaska. Carlisle could give the school a convincing explanation. I stopped and took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the pure air. Away from the boy's heady scent, I could almost convince myself that I was strong enough to resist, that Blake's scent wasn't really that tempting.

My cell phone buzzed, and I flipped it open. "Hello?"

Alice's voice screeched at me across the line. "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen! Where exactly do you think you're going? Out of nowhere, suddenly all I can see is you running. Where are you headed with so much snow?"

I sighed. I thought again of Blake's tempting smell, and how I knew exactly where the boy would be sleeping. Alice's rant ended abruptly.

"Oh! What… Edward! Don't you dare! He's just a boy!"

I heard Rosalie yelling in the background. "He's not going to attack someone, is he? Tell him he'd better not! I'm a senior, for crying out loud, I don't want to move now!"

"Tell Rose I won't do anything rash," I said to Alice. "I'm going to see Carlisle and then head up to Canada for a while."

"Oh, Edward, thank goodness!" Alice trilled, laughing. "I want a chance to meet that boy; he looks adorable!"

I rolled my eyes. Only Alice would turn a vision of me attacking someone into a desire to meet said person. "Alice, I don't even know if I'm coming back to school. That boy smells better than anyone I've ever met."

"Oh, you'll come back!" Alice enthused. "You can't stay away from school forever!"

"Goodbye, Alice." I cut Alice's reply short by snapping my phone shut. Now I had to go see Carlisle, make sure the school had some excuse for my absence. Then I would head north. Hunting sounded _very_ good right now.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: My first new chapter in ages! If anyone is still reading this, thanks! Hopefully it won't be so terribly long between updates from now on. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. If you recognize some paragraphs, yes, that's because they are basically taken right out of the book. I thought that would be easier to keep it with the right feel. Soon it won't be possible for me to do that, as the storyline is a bit different from Stephenie Meyer's.

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Luckily for me, Coach Clapp didn't make me change and participate in gym class. I stood by the wall holding the uniform he had given me, watching four of the most enthusiastic games of volleyball I had ever seen. I winced, remembering some of the many injuries I had sustained-and inflicted-playing volleyball.

Once gym ended, I headed back to the office and handed my slip of teachers' signatures to the receptionist. "How was your first day, dear?" she asked kindly. I obviously sparked a maternal flare in her.

"It was fine," I answered, my lie unconvincing. Gathering my things, I turned around and walked out of the office. I was about to head to the dorm when it hit me.

Dorm.

Roommate.

Edward Cullen.

I froze, panic filling me. How was I supposed to react to him after the way he acted in Biology? Maybe I could get a different roommate, one that didn't already hate me. On the other hand, if he didn't like me, he would ignore me, and would then be less likely to find out my secret.

I sighed. My shoulders slumped and I headed toward the dorms, resigned. I would just have to learn to deal with the situation, however bad it may be. It would probably be for the best; having a roommate that ignored me would make the conditions I was in a little easier to deal with.

I hesitated in front of the door to room 205. Should I knock, let him know I was coming into the room? No, this was my room, too; I shouldn't have to knock before going into my own room. I settled for being as noisy as I could while opening the door.

That turned out to be an unnecessary precaution, as it took me over a minute to finally get my key to work. "Do even my fingers have to be clumsy?" I muttered to myself as I pushed the door open. I paused in the doorway, expecting some response, but none came. Maybe if I was lucky, Edward was asleep.

"Hello?" I said, cautiously walking into the room as though I expected an attack. But none came. In fact, there was no response at all. Edward Cullen was not in the room.

A sudden shrill noise startled me, and I jumped, knocking over my luggage that had been carelessly stacked just inside the door. The noise continued, and I realized that the phone on the desk was ringing. I stepped over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this room 205, Blake Swan?" the voice on the other end queried.

"Yes, this is Blake," I answered, the name sounding strange to me.

"This is the office. Dr. Cullen just informed us that his son Edward will be absent for some time. We thought you should know, considering he is your roommate. Thank you, have a nice evening."

"Wait, what!" The click sounded on the end of the line, bringing the call to a close before I had a chance to ask any of the many questions that were now crowding through my head.

Edward Cullen was gone? He was going to be 'absent for some time?' I refused to believe that this had anything to do with me, although my mind immediately jumped to that conclusion. Surely I hadn't made that terrible of an impression on him. We never even spoke a single word to each other!

Regardless of why Edward was not here, his absence did make getting used to the school easier. It was a relief not having to deal with yet another boy once I got back to my room.

I did some homework before going to supper in the cafeteria, which was uneventful. I took my time getting ready for bed afterward, still being careful in case Edward was not as gone as the office seemed to think he was. I fell asleep quickly, mentally worn out by the day's events.

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My second day was better and worse than the first. Better, because I knew what to expect, recognized some of the faces. Better, because I was already becoming more confident in my ruse, in 'being a boy.' And worse, because Edward Cullen was not there. Not at lunch, where I saw his brothers sitting at a table by themselves, nor in Biology, where I had my lab table all to myself.

It was not that I wanted him to be there, especially. I simply could not convince myself that I had nothing to do with his absence. That made me uneasy; perhaps I was not as good an actor as I had thought. Perhaps Edward was exceptionally observant; had he realized what others had not, that I was only in disguise as a boy?

The week continued in much the same manner. Wednesday was the same as Tuesday, no Edward at lunch, no Edward in Biology, no Edward in my room. By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering my Biology class, no longer worried that Edward would be there. For all I knew, he had dropped out of school. I tried not to think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I was responsible for his continued absence, ridiculous as it seemed.

My first weekend passed without incident. Charlie picked me up Friday after class; after some anxious questions about how I was doing in the situation he had put me in, we spent most of our time together in comfortable silence. I cleaned the house, got ahead on my homework, and wrote my mom some bogusly cheerful e-mail. Charlie took me back to Seattle Prep Sunday night after dinner.

People greeted me at breakfast Monday morning. I didn't know all their names, but I waved back and smiled at everyone. It was colder this morning, but happily not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on _Wuthering Heights_. It was straightforward, very easy.

All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel here.

When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear boys shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.

"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing."

I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face.

"Ugh." Snow. There went my good day.

He looked surprised. "Don't you like snow?"

"No. That means it's too cold for rain." Obviously. "Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes – you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips."

"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" he asked incredulously.

"Sure I have." I paused. "On TV."

Mike laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us – in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike apparently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of the white mush.

"I'll see you later, okay?" I kept walking as I spoke. "Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside."

He just nodded, his eyes on Eric's retreating figure.

Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the new year. I kept my mouth shut. Sure, it was drier than rain – until it melted in your socks.

I walked alertly to the cafeteria with Mike after Spanish. Mush balls were flying everywhere. I kept a binder in my hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. Mike thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept him from lobbing a snowball at me himself.

Tyler Crowley caught up to us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting in his hair. He and Mike were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I glanced toward that table in the corner, where the two other Cullen brothers always sat, out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. There were three people at the table.

Mike pulled on my arm.

"Hello? Blake? What do you want?"

I looked down; my ears were hot. I had no reason to feel self-conscious, I reminded myself. Apart from being at this all-boys school in the first place, I hadn't done anything wrong. And the principal knew about that, so it must not be that bad.

"What's wrong with Blake?" Tyler asked Mike.

"Nothing," I answered. "I'll just get a soda today." I caught up to the end of the line.

"Aren't you hungry?" Mike asked.

"Actually, I feel a little sick," I said, my eyes still on the floor.

I waited for them to get their food, and then followed them to a table, my eyes on my feet.

I sipped my soda slowly, my stomach churning. Twice Mike asked how I was feeling. I told him it was nothing, but I was wondering if I _should_ play it up and escape to the nurse's office for the next hour.

Ridiculous. I shouldn't have to run away.

I decided to permit myself one glance at the Cullen family's table. If he was glaring at me, I would skip Biology, like the coward I was.

I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little.

There were laughing. Edward punched Emmett's arm in what appeared to be a playful gesture. Emmett laughed and lifted his arms in mock defense while Jasper shook his head with a smile. They were enjoying lunch just like everyone else – only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us.

But, aside from the laughter and playfulness, there was something different, and I couldn't quite pinpoint what that difference was. I examined Edward the most carefully. His skin was less pale, I decided; the circles under his eyes much less noticeable. But there was something more. I pondered, staring trying to isolate the change.

"Blake, what are you looking at?" Mike intruded, his eyes following my stare.

At that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet mine.

I dropped my head, wishing my hair was still long enough to conceal my face. I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that he didn't look harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looking merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you again," Mike commented in a low voice.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" I couldn't help asking.

"No," he said, sounding confused by my question. "Should he be?"

"I don't think he likes me," I confided. I still felt queasy. I put my head down on my arm.

"The Cullens don't like anybody … well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you."

"Quit looking at him," I hissed.

He snickered, but he looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that he did, contemplating violence if he resisted.

Tyler interrupted us then – he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard outside the dorms after school and wanted us to join. Mike agreed enthusiastically. I kept silent. I would have to hide in the gym until the area cleared.

For the rest of the lunch hour I very carefully kept my eyes at my own table. I decided to honor the bargain I'd made with myself. Since Edward didn't look angry, I would go to Biology. My stomach did frightened little flip flops at the thought of sitting next to him again

I didn't really want to walk to class with Mike as usual – he seemed to be a popular target for the snowball snipers – but when we went to the door, everyone besides me groaned in unison. It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I was secretly pleased. I would be free to go straight to my room after Gym.

Mike kept up a string of complaints on the way to building four, where Biology was.

Once inside the classroom, I saw with relief that my table was still empty. Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I kept my eyes away from the door, doodling idly on the cover of my notebook.

I heard very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but my eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern I was drawing.

"Hello," said a quiet, musical voice.

I looked up, stunned that he was speaking to me. He was sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but his chair was angled toward me. His hair was dripping wet, disheveled – even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless lips. But his eyes were careful.

"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Blake Swan."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: You know when you find a story that sounds really interesting, and you start reading and it's pretty good, and you want to know what happens, and then the story just stops, right before it gets to the really interesting parts, and you're like, no way, why hasn't this story been updated in months and months? Yeah, I hate it when that happens. Sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. If you recognize some things, yes, that's because they are basically taken right out of the book. I thought that would be easier to keep it with the right feel. Soon it won't be possible for me to do that, as the storyline is a bit different from Stephenie Meyer's.

Last time: _His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless lips. But his eyes were careful._

_"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Blake Swan." _

Confusion at Edward's demeanor rushed through me, almost causing me to deny his assumption and blurt out my real name. "Uh, yeah, that's me." _Intelligent, Bella!_ "How'd you know?"

"The whole school's been buzzing ever since you got here. We don't get many transfers, especially not in the middle of the school year." He paused, looking momentarily chagrined. "Sorry I wasn't here to greet you properly."

More confusion. "What?"

Edward pulled his hand through his hair roughly, almost looking nervous, if that was possible. "I mean, we're roommates, right? I was probably supposed to give you a tour or something."

Oh. "No worries, that's already been taken care of." Mike the overeager had seen to it. I frowned slightly; what was I supposed to say now?

The silence was about to get awkward when Mr. Banner interrupted by starting class. As he handed out our supplies, he explained that we would be identifying the phases of mitosis from the slides of onion root tip cells the boxes contained, but without using our books.

"Get started," Mr. Banner commanded.

"You first, partner?" Edward asked. I glanced up to see him with a crooked smile so beautiful it was all I could do to keep from staring at him like an idiot.

His smile faded slightly. Edward was obviously having doubts about my mental competence. At the quirk of his eyebrow, I flushed. "Right."

I grabbed the first slide and snapped it into place. I'd done this lab before, should be no problem.

It was as easy as I'd hoped. "Prophase."

"Mind if I look?" he asked as I began to remove the slide. His hand caught mine, to stop me, as he asked. His fingers were ice-cold, but that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When he touched me, it stung my hand as if an electrical current had passed through us.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, pulling his hand back immediately. However, he continued to reach for the microscope. I watched, still staggered, as he took even less time with the slide than I had.

"Prophase," he agreed, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, glancing at it cursorily.

"Anaphase," he murmured, writing it down as he spoke.

I fought to keep my voice indifferent. "May I?"

He pushed the microscope to me with a shrug.

I was disappointed when I looked through the eyepiece. Dang it, he was right!

"Slide three?" I held out my hand without looking.

He handed it to me; it felt like he was being careful not to touch my skin again.

I took the most fleeting look I could manage. "Interphase." I passed him the microscope before he could ask for it.

He eyed it briefly before writing it down, a task I left to him since I felt my clumsy script would look awkward next to his elegant handwriting.

We were finished before anyone else was close, leaving me with nothing to do but try not to look at him… unsuccessfully. When I glanced up, he was staring at me with that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly I identified the subtle difference in his face.

"Did you get contacts?" My mouth moved before my brain was finished thinking about it.

He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question. "No."

"Oh. … I thought there was something different about your eyes."

He shrugged and looked away.

I was positive there was something different. The flat black color of his eyes the last time he'd glared at me had been striking against the background of his pale skin and auburn hair. His eyes were a completely different color today: a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone. Edward had to be lying about the contacts for some reason, or maybe this school was just making me crazy in the literal sense of the word.

When I looked down, his hands were clenched into hard fists again.

Mr. Banner stopped at our table to see why we weren't working. He glanced at our worksheet, and then looked closer at the answers.

"So, Edward, didn't you think Blake should get a turn with the microscope?"

"He actually identified three of the five."

Mr. Banner looked at me with a skeptical expression. "Have you done this lab before?"

"Not with onion root." I smiled sheepishly.

"Whitefish blastula?"

"Yeah."

Mr. Banner nodded. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"

"Yes."

"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners." He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward seemed to be forcing himself to make small talk with me. It was like he heard me talking to Mike at lunch and was trying to prove me wrong.

"Not really." I failed to edit my response for normality, the stupid feeling of suspicion making me lose my concentration.

"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.

"Or the wet."

"Washington must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused.

"You have no idea."

For some reason I couldn't fathom, he looked fascinated by what I said. His face was such a distraction that I tried not to look at it any more than courtesy absolutely demanded. A guy mooning over some other guy would definitely draw some unwanted attention.

"Why did you move away from Phoenix, then?

He was the first one to ask me that straight out, practically demanding it.

"It's… complicated."

"I think I can keep up."

I paused, unsure of how deep I should go into my backstory. Then I made the mistake of meeting his gaze, and his dark gold eyes confused me into spilling everything. I told Edward about Renee and Phil, how I'd practically exiled myself so that my mom would be able to travel with her ballplayer husband without worrying about me.

Edward listened without much comment, but somehow managed to deduce that I wasn't thrilled with my situation. "You put on a good show," he said slowly, gaze appraising, "But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."

I grimaced and looked away, resisting the urge to stick my tongue out at him like a five-year-old.

"Am I wrong?"

I didn't respond.

"Didn't think so." His voice was smug.

"Why do _you_ care?" Irritation seeped into my voice, but I kept my eyes on the teacher making his rounds.

"That's a very good question. … Getting to know my roommate, maybe?" I was certain he would elaborate, but after a few seconds of silence I decided that was the only answer I was going to get.

I sighed, scowling at the blackboard.

"Am I annoying you?" He sounded amused.

I glanced at him without thinking … and told the truth again. "Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself; my face is so easy to read, my mom always calls me her open book." I frowned.

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." Despite everything he'd guessed from what little I'd said, he sounded like he meant it.

"You must be a good reader then."

"Usually." He smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect, ultrawhite teeth.

Mr. Banner called the class to order and I turned with relief to listen. Had I really just explained my dreary life to this bizarre, beautiful boy, my _roommate_, who may or may not despise me? He'd seemed interested in our conversation, but I could see from the corner of my eye that he was leaning away from me again, his hands gripping the edge of the table with unmistakable tension.

I tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated, with transparencies on the overhead projector, what I had seen without difficulty through the microscope. But my thoughts were unmanageable.

When the bell finally rang, Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had last Monday. And, like last Monday, I stared after him in amazement.

Mike came over to me shaking his head. "That was awful! They all looked exactly the same. You're luck you had Cullen for a partner."

"I didn't have any trouble with it," I said, stung by his assumption. I regretted the snub instantly. "I've done the lab before, though." Hopefully that would spare his feelings.

"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," he commented as we shrugged into our raincoats. He seemed curious about it.

I tried to sound indifferent. "I wonder what was with him last Monday."

I couldn't concentrate on Mike's chatter as we walked to Gym, and P.E. didn't do much to hold my attention, either. Mike was on my team today and wisely covered my position as well as his own. My absent-mindedness was obvious in the way my team ducked warily out of the way every time I was up to serve.

The rain was just a mist as I walked outside, but I was happier once I got to the dorms. I barely had time to dump my books, crank up the heater in my room, and change into jeans when somebody pounded on the door. My heart leaped before I realized that Edward would simply walk into _his_ room, having no need to knock.

I opened the door to see Mike standing there with a soccer ball in his hands. "What's up, Mike?"

"It stopped raining! Come out and kick a ball around with me for a while, man. It'll be fun!" Mike looked so eager I hated to disappoint him.

"You know I'm no good at sports. Totally uncoordinated, remember?"

"No big deal, it's not like we're actually playing a game. Just kicking the ball around. It'd be good for you to get outside, Casper." Mike grinned, apparently pleased with his own cleverness.

I groaned. "Fine." Mike whooped as I grabbed a jacket, almost sprinting down the hall after I closed my door. I trudged after him, muttering to myself. "_So_ not a good idea, Swan."

I grimaced when we reached the empty soccer field. It was still way too damp for my taste, but Mike was unreasonably excited about the whole thing, so I put on my game face.

Mike motioned for me to join him in the middle of the field, and as I jogged out he kicked the ball toward me. I managed to somehow intersect it with my foot and send it back in his general direction. "Not bad, dude!" He grinned. "Next time try to keep it away from me."

He dribbled it back and forth a couple times before shooting it my way. I stopped it but got distracted by something in the stands. I looked up to see Edward Cullen standing at the top of the bleachers watching. Why was he there? I thought he disliked me.

Suddenly I saw Edward's eyes go wide, then something hard collided with my head, and darkness rushed toward me.


End file.
